Ambidextrous bat



Dec. 25 1956 Fig./

R. J. LIIBERTI 2,775,455

AMBIDEXTROUS BAT Filed March 14, 1955 LABEL oomv LABEL UP Ralph J.Liberfi INVENTOR.

BY WW 8M 'cumference of the United States PatentO AMBIDEXTROUS BAT RalphJ. Liberti, New York, N. Y. Application March 14, 1955, Serial No.494,048 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-72) This invention generally relates to abaseball bat and more specifically provides an improved handleconstruction which provides a better grip for the bat.

An object of this invention is to provide a bat grip including a novelconstruction in its handle wherein the bat will be quickly and moresecurely gripped with the trademark label facing upwardly whereby thebat will at all times be positioned with the flat of the wood grainbeing toward the point of impact between the baseball bat and the ball.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a batgrip including a pair of arcuate grooves in the surface of the handlethereof adjacent the knob at the handle end for receiving the smallfinger and the butt of the palm of the hand and positioning the bat incorrect angular relation about its longitudinal axis whether the bat isutilized by a left-handed person or a right-handed person.

A still further important object of the present invention is to providean improved bat grip conformable to the preceding objects wherein thegrooves are peripherally aligned and extend around less than one-half ofthe cirbat handle and are so disposed that the wood grain of the batwill at all times be in correct relation to the point of impact therebyproviding a secure grip for the bat and preventing breakage or damage tothe bat normally caused by improper impact of the bat with the baseball.

Other important objects of the present invention will reside in itssimplicity of construction, its accurate and secure grip, use forvarious types of bats, its utility and its adaptation for one or morefingers.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the baseball bat of the present inventionshowing the grooves in the handle end adjacent the knob thereof;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmental plan view showing the construction ofthe handle end of the bat with the label or trademark facing upwardly;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental plan view similar to Figure 2 withthe label or trademark facing downwardly; and

Figure 4 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantiallyupon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of Figure 2 showing thedetails of construction and the disposition of the arcuate groove.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that thenumeral generally designates the bat construction of the presentinvention which includes an elongated generally cylindrical main bodyportion 12 that tapers to a smaller cross sectional area from its outer2,775,455 Patented Dec. 25, 1956 end toward its inner end and isprovided with a trade mark label 14 on its upper surface so that whenthe label or trademark 14 is facing upwardly the flat of the grain ofthe wood forming the bat 10 will face the point of impact between thebat 10 and the baseball or other objects contacting the bat 10. The mainbody portion 12 of the bat 10 tapers to a generally cylindrical handleportion 16 which terminates in a knob 18. This construction issubstantially conventional in baseball bats of present day use.

The improvement of pair of arcuate grooves 20 and 22 in the handleportion 16 of the bat 10 for receiving the small finger or little fingerof a person gripping the bat. The grooves 20 and 22 are generallyconcave for comfortably receiving the little finger of a person usingthe bat. When a person is batting right hand, the innermost hand or theleft hand will engage the little finger thereof in the groove 20 andconversely, the groove 22 will be engaged by the little finger on theright hand of a person batting left hand. It will be seen that thegrooves 20 and22 extend around the handle portion 16 a distance lessthan one-half the circumference thereof and it also willl be seen thatthe grooves 20 and 22 form separation areas 24 and 26 wherein the area24 is smaller than the area 26 and the area 24 is the area which willform an abutment for the proximal end of the little finger when the bat10 is gripped in either manner for use by a left-handed or right-handedperson so that the bat 10 will' be accurately gripped in angularrelation to the longitudinal axis thereof thereby assuring that thetrademark or label 14 will be facing upwardly when the finger engagesthe groove'20 or 22 and abuts the reduced area 24. It will be understoodthat the grooves 20 and 22 may be multiplied for each finger of theperson gripping the bat and not only provides an accurate and securegrip for the batter but also provides an accurate positioning means forassuring that the bat will at all times be utilized in the correctmanner. Also, the device may be utilized for other types of handmanipulated impact devices utilized in various types of games.

This device reduces the incidence of bat breakage and increases thesafety factor in batting because it provides for a firmer grasp of thebat and therefore reduces accidents by slippage or otherwiseparticularly for younger players. Unlike similar gripping devices thisgrip can be used by left or right hand batters with equal advantage andfacility. Right and left hand batters can use the same bat which is nottrue of spirally grooved grips. Also, this device provides for a firmergrasping of the hat by the lower hand which is usually the weaker handand thereby strengthens the weaker of the two hands which permits thebat to be pulled around faster for sharper and longer hits. Easierfollow-through is possible because the knob can be reduced in size, as alarge knob is in the way and obstructs a smooth follow through.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

An ambidextrous bat comprising an elongated handle of cylindricalcross-section, said handle tapering smoothly outwardly at one endthereof into a bat, the other end of said handle having a knob, a pairof opposed circumferential grooves in said handle adjacent said knob,each of said grooves extending less than one-half of the cirthe presentinvention includes a 'cumference of the handle, said bat beingconstructed of Wood and having a label disposed thereon in generallyright angular relation to the flat of the grain of the Wood, said labelthus enabling the batter to orientate the bat. about the longitudinalaxis for positioning the fiat 5 of :the grain of thenwo'od in facingrelation to the point of contact with arball, one end of each grooveproviding an abutment for thee'nd of a little finger disposed therein,each of said grooves having one end thereof disposed in an angularrelation to the label about the longitudinal 10 2031161 References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,638,454 Papin Aug. 9,1927 1,664,257 McCullough Mar. 27, 1928 Hamel Feb. 18, 1936

